We stayed at the 4* Grange Hotel which is just a short stroll away from York’s medieval walls. It advertises itself as a country house hotel in the heart of the city and it certainly feels like that! There’s a lovely friendly atmosphere all around the hotel and the sitting rooms are laid out like a luxurious country home.
Our room was a lovely period one with a large, comfy modern country-style bed and decent sized bathroom. The friendly touches continue right down to simple things like the tea and coffee making facilities. If you use them, they’ll be topped up without having to wait till the following day. Complimentary fresh milk was available in the room fridge too – a nice touch.
The hotel has 36 rooms spread out around the grade 2 listed Regency Townhouse and they’re all individual and luxurious. Some have four poster beds, and there’s even a suite available. The property was originally built for a member of York’s clergy and you can imagine that he must have lived in style! We had a really realaxing stay at the hotel and if you’re looking for luxury within a short walk of the attractions of York, we’d thoroughly recommend it. Another plus is the free parking in the private car park at the rear. The hotel also has two restaurants and the Ivy Brasserie in particular is renowned for its food. This is an extract from our free York City Guide. For latest prices for the hotel, click the links below…
The Grange Hotel Room Rates: Hotels.com
The Grange Hotel Room Rates: LateRooms.com
IVY BRASSERIE REVIEW
The Ivy Brasserie is situated on the ground floor of the Grange Hotel with its own entrance from the street. Once inside, you are greeted with a modern, luxurious feel in terms of the decor and design. Simple black wooden tables are complimented with quality napkins, cutlery and glassware. We’d say the atmosphere suits both special occasions and everyday dining.
The menu is contemporary dining at its best. Even with our fussy tastes, there were 3 or 4 dishes that sounded delicious for both the starter and main course. For starters we opted for steamed Yorkshire asparagus, fried duck egg, duck ham & hollandaise and also seared Scottish scallops, ‘old spot’ bacon, braised lettuce, peas & shoots. Even if you think these are fairly safe combinations of flavours, both these starters were exceptional in taste and design on the plate. We also liked the local touch with the Asparagus.
For the main courses, we had Yorkshire duck breast, orange braised chicory, young carrots & puy lentils and also braised Dexter beef cheeks, potato puree & ‘bourguignon’ garnish. Once again the presentation on the plate was perfect and both dishes didn’t disappoint in taste and flavour combinations. The beef cheeks in particular simply melted in the mouth – delicious!
The dessert menu was again full of things we wanted to eat. Both the desserts we chose were a lovely way to end the meal. We can also recommend the house red wine too. All in all, we were very impressed with the Ivy Brasserie, so much so that we’ll definitely return there even if we were staying elsewhere in York. The food was intelligently thought out, great quality, beautiful to look at and zinging with taste. We were also impressed with the prices for this kind of quality – we’ve paid much more than this in other restaurants for lower quality food.
The only uncomfortable note from the evening was the couple at the table nearby who had a full-blown whispered argument and decided to split up! There was nothing the staff could have done about that though and in fact, the service in the restaurant matched the quality of the food.
LOCATION & CONTACT
Address: The Ivy Brasserie & Grange Hotel, 1 Clifton, York, YO30 6AA
Tel: +44 (0)1904 644744 (Hotel & Ivy Brasserie)
Email: info@grangehotel.co.uk
The Brasserie and hotel are a pleasant 10 minute walk from the centre of York.